Research suggests that optimistic individuals are more likely to live a healthier and longer life. However, more longitudinal studies are necessary to learn more about when, why, how and for whom optimism plays a role in good health and whether interventions that enhance optimism will yield health benefits.
While low levels of negative emotion or high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are predictors of long-term survival in men and women, being both fit and not unhappy provides a strong combined effect, reducing premature death by 63 percent, according to this study.